Profile: Millie Hughes – Only Natural Design Competitions

Millie Hughes

RMIT University Melbourne

Fashion Design BFA

I was born and raised in Melbourne and graduated from the BA Fashion (Design) in June 2023. My passion for design came from costumes in cinema and the voluminous silhouettes from the baroque period. As a child, I would spend my time sketching large, adorned dresses. At the beginning of my studies, I became drawn to organic matter and natural history and began exploring ways of capturing this within fabric sculptures. I also began exploring methods of natural dyeing and extracting earthly pigments from natural matter. Throughout my degree, I explored and became inspired by other practitioners that drew from crafting and transitioned it for commercial use. During my studies I became interested in designing with 100% natural materials and processes within a context of feminine evening wear.

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Widder

Category: Apparel

Competitions: Fashion

'Widder' carries on explorations of form and sculpture in relation to natural history and the curvature of the body. This project dives into a subversion of colour and form in a space of feminine evening wear. Through a study of natural dyeing using natural pigments from black berries and biodegradable textiles, the proposed design plays with pink as a token of hyper-consumerism and contrasted with natural earthly hues. Following inspiration from organic floral matter, the design features micro pleated silk using a domestic smocker, sculpted to challenge the symmetry and rigidity within commercial feminine silhouettes. All silk used in the proposed design will be ethically sourced remnant silk. Both pleated silk organza and silk chiffon will be used throughout as well as an anchor of naturally dyed scoured cotton. The design features a bias cut halter shift with a cotton skirt yoke. Both pleated remnant silks and scraps repurposed from my previous projects will be appliquéd onto the cotton, forming the train of the design. Remnant silk can also be sewn together. as smocking masks the seam lines. Smocked organza will be used to stabilise the drape surrounding the hip in order to build the desired volume from navel to hem. This technique will also be used to construct the sleeve. 'Widder' works to replicate my adoration of florals. By using only natural matter and 100% biodegradable textiles, the design invites us to celebrate the beauty of natural forms and hues within our polluted and increasingly mechanised world.